 Continuing our Sector Spotlight Campaign on Career Education, we hear from Kerri Liddle who is the Team Leader for Skills Development Scotland in Orkney. After leaving school, Kerri originally planned to go to university, but realised she wanted to stay in Orkney so began working as a Dental Nurse, which enabled her to work alongside studying. A move into Oral Health Education followed but looking for a change Kerri started studying with the Open University to increase her opportunities. She then started working with Skills Development Scotland as a Personal Assistant, and while in that role was offered the chance to train as a Careers Adviser, before progressing into her current role as Team Leader.  Can you describe a typical day in your role as Team Leader at Skills Development Scotland?
I spend most of the day in meetings, speaking and listening to people. I work mainly in the SDS Office in Kirkwall but also like to visit Careers Advisers in the school they work in. My day mainly consist of finding ways to make my team’s job easier. This can be working with the team to make adjustments to our approach or in a wider context, working with partners discussing the current employability landscape. I am very lucky to have a good network around me which makes my job easier. How did you end up in this role? When I left school, I started working at Argo’s Bakery whilst I decided which career I wanted to do. The original plan was to go to university to study Children’s Nursing but after the first summer I realised this wasn’t for me as I wanted to stay in Orkney, so I applied for a job as a Dental Nurse and was successful. This role gave me the opportunity to work and study at the same time. I changed roles within dental and became an Oral Health Educator. I knew I loved working with people but I needed a change. After nine years of working in the dental clinic, I started an Open University course to open up opportunities for me. After only three months, I applied to work for Skills Development Scotland (SDS) as a Personal Assistant. From there I was offered to do the Postgraduate Diploma Qualification in Career Guidance and Development through SDS and I moved into a Careers Adviser role. As a side line, I joined a small recruitment company and later owned the company whilst continuing with my role at SDS. It became a little too busy so I decided to focus on my work within SDS and find a role that matched the challenge that the business gave me along with the love of the job I already did. I took a big leap and applied for a Team Leader role to support a team in Moray but did this remotely as we were currently in the pandemic and everyone was working at home anyway. After a year, a Team Leader position became available in Orkney and I took on this role. I have currently been the Team Leader for Orkney for 18 months. What is the best thing about your job? The people. I love working with the team, the partners and all the people that use our services. No two days are the same and there is always a new challenge to find a solution for. What is the worst thing about your job? When something is outwith my control and the outcome directly affects my team. What skills do you need to undertake your role? Negotiation skills Communication skills Listening Problem solving Analytical Decision making What qualifications do you have? SVQ 3 Dental Nursing HNC Oral Health Educator Diploma in Interior Design Certificate in Business Postgraduate Diploma in Career Guidance and Development Would you recommend this job to young people, if so why? Yes, absolutely. I love my job and I would recommend it to anyone. If you enjoy business and love working with people then it is a great way to combine those two strengths into one role. It can be challenging but you can also see the difference it can make to your team and the people that use our service. The Skills Development Scotland team in Orkney are currently recruiting for a Careers Adviser to join their team. For more information about the role contact the careers centre in Kirkwall on (01856) 872 460, or visit here. Visit Skills Development Scotland on: Website: www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk Twitter: www.twitter.com/skillsdevscot Comments are closed.
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